Designing and Assembling A Memorable Wedding Album

Designing and creating a wedding album is a way to relive and celebrate the wedding day. This heirloom piece can be created as a traditional album with prints or designed as a photo book where the photos are printed on the page. In either case, care should be taken in selecting the best photographs and their arrangement. The choices and materials used for an album can make sure the album is a lasting heirloom which can be treasured for generations to come.

Step 1

Decide how many images the album will include. This can be determined by the number of pages desired and the number of photos per page.

Step 2

Review the proofs for suitable images. Discard any images which are blurry or which have too low of a resolution, as they will not print well. Mark the remaining images as suitable and set them aside.

More step await you.

Step 3

Arrange the images in a template or in graphics software. If you are using specialized software such as photo book software, the templates may be provided by the software. A chronological arrangement makes the album easier to read.

Step 4

Order the final prints for the album, making sure the size specifications match any mattes or template frames you may be using.

Step 5

Review a proof of the album design. This can be done by printing the layout yourself or by ordering a proof print from the album company. Make any adjustments and sign off on the proof for the final album to be printed.

Step 6

If using a traditional album, assemble the album when the prints arrive. Mounting and assembly will vary based on the style of album chosen, however, use of archival material is required or the album will fade.

Designing The Digital Album

Step 1

Set the boundaries of the page, allowing a small amount of room at the edges for bleed and binding for digital albums. These settings may be automatically accounted for when using specialized album software; designers using GIMP, Photoshop, or other editing programs will need to contact the album printer for the measurements of the bleed and binding. With a traditional bound album, the edges are set by selecting mattes which fit to the pages in the album.

Step 2

Lay out the page elements. A traditional wedding album using mattes will have a prescribed layout. Mattes that hold single or multiple photos may be used; a general rule of thumb is to pair one single photo matte with one multiple photo matte. This way, when the album is opened, the viewer is not overwhelmed by many photos. The mattes will provide a natural blank space to border the photos and organize page elements. When laying out a digital album, the same general rule of thumb applies - pair pages that hold single elements with pages that hold multiple elements. This creates a natural balance which will draw the eye over the images without overwhelming. Elements may overlap each other in a digital album - when using these layouts, careful photo choice is critical to avoiding visual confusion.

Step 3

Choose the photos to fill the page elements. Begin by arranging the chosen photos in chronological order. This will make the album easier to "read". If there are images which do not have a part in the "story" of the day, such as detail shots of flowers or rings, set them aside as they will be used to fill in the gaps later.

Step 4

Fill the page elements with photos. Insert these images into the template or matte, starting with the photos that begin with the story of the wedding. Images with many subjects or focal points, such as crowd scenes, will work better in larger elements where less complicated images will work in either large or small elements. In overlapping elements in a digital album, choose simpler images to avoid visual chaos. Since each wedding is unique, the album design will depend on what the finished set of proofs includes.

Step 5

Add any embellishments or graphics to the open areas of the page or matte. These should be used sparingly and should be placed so that they draw the eye to the center of the page - at corners, or to balance out a distracting page element on the opposite side of the page. This is the final step to designing a finished album!

Tips

• Be sure to use archival quality materials for the album--acid-free papers, glues and prints using quality processes that will not fade over time.

• For photo book albums, check to see that you have reproduction rights or copyright.

• Check the resolution of photos for printing. Not all photos may be of a printable size.